What are words shown on the screen, designed for the hearing impaired, called?

The term for words shown on the screen specifically designed for the hearing impaired is closed captioning. Closed captions not only include the dialogue spoken in the video but also incorporate relevant non-verbal sounds, such as sound effects, music cues, and speaker identification. This additional information ensures that viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing can fully understand the context and emotion conveyed in the visual media.

While subtitles also represent spoken dialogue, they typically do not provide the full range of sounds and descriptions found in closed captioning. Subtitles are often used for translation purposes and may omit crucial non-dialogue information. Audio description serves a different purpose by narrating visual elements of a video for individuals who are blind or have low vision. Annotations are generally used for added information or commentary and do not serve the purpose of conveying spoken dialogue or related sounds.

Understanding these distinctions will help clarify why closed captioning is the appropriate choice for conveying information to the hearing impaired.